MESSAI.iO

Photoautotroph oxygenic · Electrogen · N₂ fixer

Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Cyanobacteriota · Cyanophyceae · Merismopediaceae

ElectroactiveEET outwardBSL-1Partial record
  • Cyanobacteria
  • Phototroph
  • Photo MFC
  • Model organism
  • Tier 2
Outward
Electron transfer
electroactive
30°C
Optimal temperature
grows 22–38 °C
8
Optimal pH
grows pH 7–9

01 · Identity

Identity

Where this organism sits in the tree of life, how to obtain it, and what a cell looks like.

Lineage

  1. domainBacteria
  2. ›phylumCyanobacteriota
  3. ›classCyanophyceae
  4. ›orderSynechococcales
  5. ›familyMerismopediaceae
  6. ›genusSynechocystis
  7. ›speciesSynechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Culture collections & accessions

NCBI taxon
1148
Genome
GCF_000009725.1

Cell morphology

Coccus, Gram-negative (diderm)

width 2 µm

  • Motile: no

02 · Electron transfer

Electron transfer

How electrons cross the cell envelope — the property that makes a microbe useful in an electrochemical system.

ElectroactiveEET outward
CELLELECTRODEOUTER-MEMBRANE CYTOCHROMESunspecified…PetJe⁻SOLUBLE SHUTTLESNADPH-deriv…phenazinese⁻
Electrons flow outward: cell → electrode (exoelectrogen)

Mechanisms

  • Outer-membrane cytochromes: yes
  • Endogenous shuttles: yes

03 · Growth envelope

Growth envelope

The conditions this organism tolerates and what it eats and breathes — the operating window for a reactor.

MesophileFacultative anaerobePhotoautotroph
Temperature30 (22–38) °C
0100 °C
pH8 (7–9)
014

Energy metabolism

Electron donors

  • water (oxygenic photosynthesis)

Electron acceptors

  • NADP+
  • anode (photo-MFC)

Carbon sources

  • CO2
  • Glucose

Metabolism — detail

Carbon fixation pathway
Calvin benson bassham

04 · Performance

Performance

Reported electrochemical output, the role it plays in a reactor, and what it produces.

Weak electrogen
30mW/m2
Max power density
range 5–100 · per projected anode area

Role in a reactor

Anode chamberAnode: primary current producer

05 · Ecology & biofilm

Ecology & biofilm

How it lives on an electrode, who it partners with, and where it is found in nature.

Ecosystems

  • Freshwater

Isolation sources

  • Freshwater

06 · Applications, engineering & safety

Applications, engineering & safety

Where it has been put to work, how tractable it is to engineer, and what handling it requires.

Applications (3)

  • Bioelectricity generation

    Photo-MFC research

    TRL 3/9
  • Carbon capture
    TRL 3/9
  • Research model organism

Engineering

Synthetic biology chassisIndustrial relevance 3/5

Reactor compatibility

  • Photo MFC

Genetics

  • Genetically tractable: yes

Transformation methods

  • natural transformation
Available genetic tools
  • extensive plasmid library
  • CRISPR-Cas12a
  • CRISPRi

Biosafety

BSL-1
  • Pathogen: no

Modeling assets

  • Genome-scale metabolic model: yes
  • iSyn731
  • iJN678

Linked GEM: iSyn669

07 · Sources & data quality

Sources & data quality

Every value above traces to a citation. This is how complete and how confident the record is.

Record quality

PartialMedium confidenceCurated: manual

Literature reviewed 2026-04-26 · schema v1.2.0 · updated 2026-04-28 · imported 2026-04-28

References (2)

  1. Pisciotta JM, et al. (2010). Light-dependent electrogenic activity of cyanobacteria. PLoS One 5:e10821.
  2. Pisciotta JM, et al. (2010). Light-dependent electrogenic activity of cyanobacteria. PLoS One 5:e10821.